DEFENCE SYSTEMS

ARTICLES

It is looking increasingly likely that computer hackers have in fact successfully attacked what had been the pinnacle of cybersecurity – the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). A few days ago, reports began emerging of claims by a hacking group called the Shadow...

You are now 20 times more likely to have your money stolen online by a criminal overseas than by a pickpocket or mugger in the street, according to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics. The figures, revealed that almost 6m fraud and cyber crimes were...

Two events set the stage for India-China strategic competition going underwater — one is the docking of China’s submarine in Sri Lanka’s Colombo port and the other is the loss of India’s submarine INS Sindhurakshak in a major fire incident. These and subsequent events...

The worlds of warfare and virtual reality are an appealing combination. Millions of fans of Call of Duty would no doubt jump from their sofas at the chance to immerse themselves in a 3D version of the game, given the right kit. But the serious side of this combination...

In 2012, a year before he died, the distinguished political scientist Kenneth Waltz wrote an article in Foreign Affairs arguing that everyone should stop worrying about Iran getting a nuclear weapon. He didn’t think that Iran was likely to voluntarily abandon its...

In 2009 the Norwegian Nobel Committee bestowed the Nobel Peace Prize on Barack Obama for, among other reasons, ‘the special importance’ of the US President’s ‘vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons’. The prize’s recipient had sketched out this vision...

The world is fighting a hidden war thanks to a massive shift in the technologies countries can use to attack each other. Much like the Cold War, the conflict is being fought indirectly rather than through open declarations of hostility. It has so far been fought...

In 2002, the Magna Science Centre in South Yorkshire witnessed a surprising event: a two foot tall robot, Gaak, escaped from a gladiatorial experiment with learning robots. The experiment, part of the “Living Robots” project, simulated a predator and pray scenario...

Between 2014 and June 2015, China conducted four major tests of its hypersonic missiles (with a fifth test in August). The fourth test of Wu-14, its ultra high-speed nuclear delivery vehicle, demonstrated a capacity for “extreme maneuvers.” It was assessed as...

The government’s decision to insist that the Indian Air Force induct a large number of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) fighters is the kind of shock treatment that was needed to push the ‘Make in India’ project. A news report says that the government has...